Lafayette property owners could get tax break

Property owners in Lafayette Parish may get a tax break next year if the City-Parish Council approves the 2013-14 budget proposed by City-Parish President Joey Durel.

The Advertiser reports ( http://bit.ly/174jMKZ) the council accepted the administration's proposed budget Thursday with no discussion. The council will discuss the proposal during a series of public hearings in coming weeks.

Durel is proposing not to fully collecting two property taxes in the coming fiscal year, which begins Nov. 1.

The parish-wide mosquito abatement tax and the parish health unit tax, both assessed to property owners, are generating more revenue than is needed for annual operations, Durel said. So he is proposing they not be fully collected in the coming year.

Durel proposed a 1-mill tax reduction in the mosquito tax and a .94-mill reduction in the parish health unit tax for a total 1.94-mill cut in property taxes from Nov. 1 through Oct. 31, 2014.

The cut would reduce the tax burden on property owners by more than $3 million, he wrote in a budget message to the council.

"We often ask our constituents to pay more or to do more for local government," he wrote. "It is only fair that when we have the opportunity to reduce the taxes they pay, even temporarily, we should do so."

The taxes would not be eliminated and would be fully reinstated when needed.

Durel also said he plans on asking voters to renew both of those taxes but with a change. He would like to consolidate both property taxes into one fund, creating a public safety/public health fund that would include animal control.